Where did you find your car?

[DaraSue]

Currently going through the frustrating process of car-shopping, beating my head against the wall after getting sniped at literally the last second on eBay and trying to make the logistics work of travelling out of state to check cars out. (I'm in UT so the chances of just happening to find one here for what I want to spend are... minimal.)

Would welcome any input you guys have on what buying experiences were good/bad.

Beverly Hills Car Club seems to have quite a few of them and I know at least one poster here had a good experience with them but I've seen questionable reports about them on other car forums (that they were basically car flippers who did the bare minimum to get it driveable out of the warehouse) so I'm thinking they're kind of a last resort that I'd look at if I were in CA anyway and wanted to pay the $425 to have DMC CA check it over.

Two others I've got my eye on were one in Fullerton that's currently listed for $30K with no bites and one in San Bernardino County owned by a FOAFOAF he wants $33k for, comparable to the one I lost on eBay. I was hoping to find a daily driver for $25-30K but maybe my expectations aren't realistic and I should resign myself to paying a few grand more to save myself the hassle of looking for a few more months/years in which prices could go up.

Thoughts?

[Mark D]

I found mine right here on DMCTalk in the classified section. I'm in WI and the previous owner lived in OH. I was lucky enough to have a car savvy friend living just a half hour away from the owner. After he checked it out and gave me the OK I rented a car and drove 8 hours to check out the car myself. It was "The One" so we made a deal and I drove it home to WI.

[dodint]

^^ That is my plan.

Co-worker has a cousin who has one in a warehouse in Eau Claire, she's supposed to put out feelers for me but I don't know anything about it at all.

[dn010]

I found mine on eBay but the transaction went down outside of it either because the auction ended early for me or because the auction ended and the car didn't sell, I can't remember which - this was back in 2002.

[DMCVegas]

DMC-GG before they became a partner with Houston.

[louielouie2000]

I bought my first two DeLoreans from DMC News members. DMC News was an email list-serve that preceded DeLorean message boards such as DMC Talk. Anyway, it's my goal to buy another DeLorean next year, and I hope to purchase from a fellow forum member when that time comes as well. I just like the idea of buying a car that is owned by a known enthusiast. You get a better idea of the cars individual strengths and faults, how it was maintained & restored, etc. When you look at dealer-sale cars, you can't get any sort of an honest answer on how often the car was driven, how it was maintained, how the DeLorean-specific faults were dealt with (or if they were remedied at all), where replacement parts were bought & who installed them, etc.

That being said, both of my cars had their fair share of issues surface after I purchased them. That's to be expected with any car of this vintage, though. Especially considering most DeLoreans have been stored long-term (which is way rougher on them than being driven), and DMC-12s themselves were a brand new car, from a brand new company, produced for pennies on the dollar, years faster than any other production car that has ever come to market. In essence, these cars have built-in flaws, and storage/lack of use has not been kind to them.

As an example, 99% of Beverly Hills Car Club DeLoreans not only rock their original electrics, but also run their original belts, hoses, and even tires. There is a reason why they advertise their cars for so much less than everyone else; most of their cars will just barely move under their own power. BHCC isn't alone in this, either. The majority of DeLoreans for sale at any given time are in such a condition. These aren't American muscle cars with simple pushrod engines and carburetors; they are (often) fickle little cars with a very early form of mechanical (not electronic!) fuel injection, embryonic computers/electrics, cooling & HVAC systems that traverse the entire length of the car, etc. Most people didn't have a clue how to maintain them, so they simply weren't; or varying mechanics bungled repairs over the years to keep the cars barely operational, etc.

Moral of the story: don't get in a rush to buy, and don't buy a car just because it's nearby. These cars trade hands pretty often, so wait for the appropriate one for you to come along. Even if it isn't near, you'll find fellow owners will gladly go look at the car for you & report back. Trust me, we don't mind doing it- it's always fun to go see a newly surfaced DeLorean in your area.

[Lou and "Boo"]

My car was sitting under a tree for fifteen years. I would walk by it while walking with my first born and say "I'm
Gonna inquire about that some day". Later on in life , I was
Walking with my second born and the guy was outside so I said
"You ever gonna sell That Delorean"
He said
"Why do you want to buy it?"
I said "I don't want to pay tens of thousands of dollars ."
He said "how about $5000"

20 minutes later he signed the title Over to me.

I didn't even know about the forums until After I bought it.

[DaraSue]

Thanks everybody who's responded!

My car was sitting under a tree for fifteen years. I would walk by it while walking with my first born and say "I'm
Gonna inquire about that some day". Later on in life , I was
Walking with my second born and the guy was outside so I said
"You ever gonna sell That Delorean"
He said
"Why do you want to buy it?"
I said "I don't want to pay tens of thousands of dollars ."
He said "how about $5000"

20 minutes later he signed the title Over to me.

I didn't even know about the forums until After I bought it.

OMG, that's awesome! But how many zillions of hours/dollars did it take to get it roadworthy again?

I bought my first two DeLoreans from DMC News members. DMC News was an email list-serve that preceded DeLorean message boards such as DMC Talk. Anyway, it's my goal to buy another DeLorean next year, and I hope to purchase from a fellow forum member when that time comes as well. I just like the idea of buying a car that is owned by a known enthusiast. You get a better idea of the cars individual strengths and faults, how it was maintained & restored, etc. When you look at dealer-sale cars, you can't get any sort of an honest answer on how often the car was driven, how it was maintained, how the DeLorean-specific faults were dealt with (or if they were remedied at all), where replacement parts were bought & who installed them, etc.

(...)

As an example, 99% of Beverly Hills Car Club DeLoreans not only rock their original electrics, but also run their original belts, hoses, and even tires. There is a reason why they advertise their cars for so much less than everyone else; most of their cars will just barely move under their own power. BHCC isn't alone in this, either. The majority of DeLoreans for sale at any given time are in such a condition. (...)

Moral of the story: don't get in a rush to buy, and don't buy a car just because it's nearby. These cars trade hands pretty often, so wait for the appropriate one for you to come along. Even if it isn't near, you'll find fellow owners will gladly go look at the car for you & report back. Trust me, we don't mind doing it- it's always fun to go see a newly surfaced DeLorean in your area.

Yeah, that's the conclusion I'm rapidly drawing, too. I feel pretty good about the ones I've got my eye on currently b/c they were both driven regularly and maintained by DMC and/or an authorized shop for the major stuff. I'd rather pay $30k for one that's in decent shape than get one cheap that's going to end up costing the same or more by the time all the stuff that's been rotting in storage is fixed. Another member recommended doing the full checkout by DMC anyway so maybe I should reconsider my plan to just pick it up and drive it back and try to temper my desire for instant gratification.

[Henrik]

I found mine on eBay but the transaction went down outside of it either because the auction ended early for me or because the auction ended and the car didn't sell, I can't remember which - this was back in 2002.

Exact same for me: I scoped it out on eBay; it didn't sell so I contacted the seller and made him an offer and he accepted. I was on the plane to Oklahoma City the next day and drove it back home to Dallas. That was back in 2005. I have done a lot of work on it since then: engine swap, change to stick shift, interior etc.... like most other owners I don't think there is a screw, nut or wire haven't touched.

[sdg3205]

My car floated around eBay and Craigslist in Gilbert Arizona for a long time. It was originally listed at $15 and kept dropping every time the ads and auctions were renewed. I was down in Az on vacation in 2009 and convinced my wife driving from Scottsdale to Gilbert to see the car would be fun. I was right, the drive was fun, but she didn't enjoy me poking and prodding the car in the hot desert for an hour.

Looked at a few others in the pacific north west but ended up going with the desert car because of the lack of rust. So glad I did. Like others, I didn't know about this forum or other resources before the purchase.